Over the past two days, more residents of the North Loop homeless encampment have opened up about their lives and life outlook.
Yesterday I met TC (left).
“I used to work for Kemp’s,” he said.
Then COVID caused layoffs.
He’s been here at this camp six months.
“The winter hasn’t scared you off?” I asked.
“Oh, no. The elements are the elements,” he said. “I’m part of the elements.”
To the right in the photo above is Feenix.
That’s his stage name.
“Ishmael the Feenix” to be exact.
He’s a recording artist with some music on YouTube. Seriously, you can look him up: “Be that Way, by Ishmael the Feenix”.
Then this morning, things got heavier.
Uncle George invited me into his tent, blocked from light by all the layers draped over it.
Inside, he prepared eggs and corned beef hash for a nearby mother and daughter.
He described his service-oriented approach to camp life. This includes bringing a young woman back to consciousness after not breathing from an overdose and pulling another woman out of a tent fire caused by a nearby generator going up in flames.
He doesn’t do all this for the gratitude, he said. In fact, the second woman was angry at him because she dropped her dope while he pulled her out.
He does this to make amends for his old way of living.
“I was always a taker,” he said. “I was always destructive. I was always full of anger and rage.”
After a long pause, he continued.
“I call it my purgatory because I couldn’t save my wife. She died in 2016.”
Obligation to fellow campers has been a theme of many conversations, including with Andy who’s been my point person at the camp...
...and, today, with Nicole.
Nicole is waiting on a place to live for her and her four daughters. She’s had a long and bumpy road in and out of housing, but bottom line, “I want to give my daughters a home with good memories before I die,” she said through tears. At the same time, she feels for all the other mothers in her shoes.
“I can’t protect them if I’m not out here,” she said.
I'm not sure what I'm in the middle of yet—a documentary or a series; reporting or advocacy—but something is coming together.
If you're interested in helping these campers in some way, let me know. I’ll be continuing to bring donations as well. Or if you have any questions or curiosities about life here or for those I speak to, let me know these, too.
Otherwise, stay tuned for more photos, stories, and, eventually, videos. More and more residents are eager to share about their lives and to get the word out about the issues they face—issues that continue to grow in cities across the country.